Since 1952 more than a few receivers and transceivers have crossed the threshold and wound up connected to antennas at our homes. Some of the receivers were around for a for less than a year for purposes of developing computer programs to control the receiver; others were here only for a few weeks while writing test reports. The opinions expressed below are mine, they are subjective and they do not necessarily agree with published receiver reviews or with comments of other users. = Currently owned.

In 2006, in my opinion the annual Passport to World Band Radio is the most comprehensive source of current receiver reviews for just about all currently-produced portable or tabletop receiver in the marketplace. New receiver reviews are also published in the annual World Radio TV Handbook and in the magazine Monitoring Times.

A good source for older receiver reviews on the 'net is the Radio Netherlands Receiver Shopping List, but due to the lack of interesting new shortwave-capable tabletop or portable receivers in the last half-dozen years no additional reviews have been published. The RNW site does carry a few reviews of receivers with other delivery systems, such as satellite; I believe it is the only Web source for this kind of receiver. In January 2006 RNW there is a statement that the section will remain on the Web site for the foreseeable future, but no new sets will be tested.

For HF receivers no longer made, from 2004 Universal Radio's DXing.com offers a concise summary of receivers made manufactured since the 1970's. Lots of information, highly recommended.

Table-top receivers

• Drake SPR-4, SW8, R8 and R8A
• Grundig Satellit 800 Millennium
• Hallicrafters S-38, SX-28A, 8R40 and S-53A
• Hammarlund HQ-129, HQ-140 and HQ-150
• ICOM R-71A, IC-R75
• Japan Radio Company NRD-525 and
  NRD-535D
• Kenwood R-2000 and R-5000
• Lowe HF-150
• Magnavox RCU-2 (WWII vintage)
• Radio Shack DX-150A and DX-394
• Ten-Tec RX-320 PC receiver and RX-350 DSP receiver
• Watkins-Johnson HF-1000
  (loaned to us for a short while)
• WiNRADiO WR-1500e PC receiver
• Yaesu FRG-100B

Reflections. The HQ-150 had a Barker & Williamson Model 370 SSB Receiving Adapter and a Heath SB-620 Panadaptor attached to it. Of all the receivers, this is the probably the best I've owned for MW TA DXing. The bulk of the 90-odd countries heard between 520 and 1600 kHz were done so using this receiver. The picture to the right was taken in 1958, before acquiring the panadaptor; we were in high school.

The R-71A's optional SSB filter was one of the best at the time. The ICOM IC-R71A and Kenwood R-5000 receivers are both good receivers. (The R-2000 had such good audio that it prompted me to buy the R-5000.) Both receivers are discontinued, but do occasionally show up on the used equipment market. In 1999 ICOM released the IC-R75 (one arrived here in mid-January 2000) but Kenwood no longer offers a shortwave receiver.

The Japan Radio Company NRD-525 and NRD-535D receivers are excellent radios(we haven't yet played with the NRD-545). We like the optional 1 kHz filter for digital signal utility signal monitoring, something not offered by ICOM and Kenwood. We like the separate FAX and RTTY modes, and the direct frequency readout. There is no adding offsets to the display readings as one must do with Drake, ICOM and Kenwood receivers, or tuning FAX in the USB mode. I had DES M-6000, M-7000 and AEA Fax III decoders attached to the NRD-series receivers.

Some owners complained about the NRD-525 audio quality. The audio quality was addressed in later models but it was not the quality of the Lowe HF-150 or ICOM IC-R75. There are some mods to change a few components in the audio chain, and these changes help to increase the tonal control range. Many of the mid-1990's audio sound files were recorded with the NRD-525 and the NRD-535D.

We had a retro moment on July 26, 2000, and picked up a (third) clean used NRD-525 with the computer control board. (The first receiver was destroyed by lightning; the second sold when the NRD-535D arrived). In retrospect, we believe the NRD-525 has less digital display noise than the NRD-535D and that makes for a better LW receiver than the NRD-535D.

In terms of computer control capabilities, the Drake R8-series and Japan Radio Company receivers offer the best set of instructional commands.

For program listening, the Lowe HF-150 has absolutely superb audio with our favorite speaker¹ and excellent synchronous capabilities. It is our favorite receiver for listening to international shortwave broadcasters hour after hour. The keypad is a must. It is not necessarily a DXing machine as it lacks 100 Hz readout, a noise blanker, the CW mode and a timer/clock. We like the portable kit, as that gives me a carry strap, whip antenna and battery operation - and the radio often accompanied me to the back yard in the summer. If there is a downside to the HF-150, the lack of a r.f. stage eventually led us to purchase the matching PR-150 preselector to eliminate evening hours crosstalk caused by RCI Sackville in the 49m band. I have seen and heard the SP-150, and the audio is quite good. I opted to pass on the accessory as I had other receivers with s-meters and good speakers here on the table. At the end of 1997, the HF-150E was announced -- but we have not tried this version of the HF-150 receiver. The HF-150 series was discontinued in 1999.

With the optional IF-150 interface cord, the HF-150 has limited computer control; data can only be sent to, but not read from, the receiver.

The Drake R8B receiver was a good value when introduced. It has good audio, all filters included, and a serial port for computer control. Note that for the digital signal listener, the R8-series suffer from not displaying the nominal carrier frequency. I had to keep a calculator nearby, to subtract 2.125 kHz for RTTY and 1.9 kHz for FAX (tuned in the USB mode). Annoying... if you are using the utility frequency guides. (The same problem exists in the ICOM IC-R75.) See the R8A review I wrote in the 1996 WRTH and a variation of the review on Radio Netherlands Receiver Shopping List. The Drake R8B, with more memories, was released in October 1997, but we did not try the radio. The Drake R8B was discontinued in 2004.

In October 1998 we tested the new Ten-Tec RX-320 DSP PC receiver. It is a black box with software controls (Windows), and it is a remarkable receiver for the low price of $295.

The WiNRADiO WR-1500e arrived in December 1998. First impressions: a quality product, nice software, great on VHF and UHF. But in early tests we note that at night there is signal overload on the main shortwave broadcast bands... and the receiver documentation suggests using shorter antennas and preselectors. And there is only one AM bandwidth. If shortwave-only is your interest, stay with the Ten-Tec RX-320.

The ICOM IC-R75 arrived mid-January 2000. (See another review in the January 2000 QST.) Bottom line, we like the radio. The attractive price point properly placed the unit between the HF-150 and the Drake R8B or AOR AR-7030 PLUS receivers (depending upon your location in the world).

The Grundig Satellit 800 Millennium was purchased July 10, 2000. The radio was not at all what we expected, and we returned the unit 4 days later. We briefly checked a second unit as well. There were quality control issues which could be fixed, but what was unforgivable was the radiation from (probably) the digital display that affected all other receivers within 2 meters of the Satellit 800 and the internal noises scattered through the spectrum. The 800 was discontinued in 2004.

There are other tabletop receivers out there, and we do look, but sensibilities limit the number of receivers we purchase at any given time. In September 2000 we had a firesale and cleared the tabletop of a half-dozen tabletop and portable receivers, keeping only the NRD-525. There may be a message in here, but we have not yet figured it out... :-)

A Ten-Tec RX-350 DSP receover arrived on 14 December 2001 and sold in late 2004 as we were just not using the unit enough to justify keeping. Overall a decent, quite sensitive receiver, but the LW performance was suspect due to the MW signal break-through. In January 2006, I don't know if the problem has been fixed.

1. From Radio Shack, in the 2001 catalog, our favorite speaker is now known as the RCA PRO-X44AV (black #40-5001, white #40-5002). It sells for US$60 but often goes on sale at a considerable savings. The speaker was formally known as the Radio Shack Optimus PRO X44AV (black #40-2080, white #40-2081) and prior to that the Radio Shack PRO 7AV (white #40-2048, black #40-2059). We use this speaker on all receivers on the tabletop.

Portable receivers

I have forgotten some of the older ones owned dating back to the 1950s and 1960s. These are the more recent ones.

• FreePlay Global Shortwave
• ICOM IC-R5
• Panasonic RFB-65L
• Radio Shack DX-396 and DX-398
• Sangean ATS-505
• Sony ICF-2010, ICF-SW55, ICF-SW100, ICF-SW07 and ICF-SW7600GR
• Yaesu VR-500

Reflections. My decision criteria here initially was to find the best portable, and the ICF-2010 was the first to fit that bill. The synchronous detection is probably still among the best of the portables, albeit with our general purpose listening I don't require the feature that often. My decision criteria dramatically changed when we started traveling by air more frequently, and the receiver size became important. The 2010 was too expensive to risk in the luggage holds and conveyers, too big to put in the carryon luggage, and we tired of carrying a separate Gilfer Shortwave bag. The RFB-65 was an attractive smaller alternative,but its 36 memories paled by comparisonwith the 125 memories of the SW55 in the same size package. We liked the now-discontinued ICF-SW55 and considered it to probably be the best buy for features and performance versus price. The singular downside was that batteries were chewed up in a nominal 20 hours. But the ultimate traveling package came along with the miniature ICF-SW100. I left the peripherals home, and simply took an extra set of batteries when we went away for more than a few days. I do not recommend the SW100 or the ICF-SW07 (the 1999 upgrade of the SW100) portable for one's first or only receiver as these do not appear to be as sensitive or selective as the SW55 and tabletop receivers we have owned, but the SW100 and the SW07 suited my "have pocket - will travel" needs very nicely. The SW07 has a nifty memory system, otherwise has the same characteristics as the SW100. The SW07 took a bit of getting used to, but one learned we found it easier to use than the SW100. Notably, one does not have to page through "memory pages" of five memories apiece. The DX-398 is equivalent to the Sangean ATS-909. Our impression is that it is not as sensitive as the ICF-SW100S or ICF-SW07, but the memories are easy to use. The ATS (automatic tuning system) for AM, FM and LW is interesting: hold a button down and it populates memories with the strongest stations, producing interesting results on MW if you do this at night.

For the Radio Netherlands Receiver Shopping List, we reviewed the FreePlay Global Shortwave in December 1999. Though critics rightly point out shortcomings and the availability of analogue and digital battery-powered portables for less money, nevertheless the GSW is an interesting and useful unit. Running on a windup spring, it is ideal for distressed or third world countries where electric and batteries are in short supply. Aside from campers, park personnel and others who camp and travel in remote areas of developed countries, the GSW probably is more of a novelty value. In March 2000, Jonathan Marks of Radio Netherlands told me that FreePlay had begun shipping a GSW with slightly expanded band coverage and better voltage control. These were issues raised in our review. Coincidence?

In the early 1990's we looked long and hard for an inexpensive (< $150) small portable from Radio Shack and others, but finally opted to give up the search. Unfortunately most (if not all) portables in this category lack sufficient frequency coverage. Notably these lack coverage of the extended bands such as found on the high end of 41 and bottom end of 49 meters. The Sangean answered the call in year 2000 with the ATS-505 that tunes AM and SSB continuously throughout the shortwave spectrum.

The Sangean ATS-505 performance surprises us for a list price of just US$130. An upgrade to the AM-only ATS-404, this LW -AM - SW with SSB - FM paperback-size receiver arrived in early March 2000. The first station we tuned was Radio Sri Lanka on 15425!

For the Radio Netherlands Receiver Shopping List, in February 2001 we reviewed the Yaesu VR-500 manufactured by Vertex Standard. See the September 2003 issue of QST for a second review of the VR-500. This tiny handheld radio covers from 0.1 MHz to 1.3 GHz and runs on a pair of AA batteries. So long as you do not overdo the antenna on the receiver front end, the performance is quite credible for price versus performance. We like the receiver, and often use it in the car with a short external antenna. We owned an ICOM IC-R5 (See a review in the August 2003 QST.) for a while too, similar in frequency coverage and performance to the VR-500, but we eventually sold it because of non-use. Perhaps it is just my tastes, but tuning directly to frequencies with the turn of a knob instead of a keyboard made the IC-R5 frustrating to use.

To enable the hidden Narrow AM option on the VR-500 simply do the following. VR-500 NAM Unlock: Unlock the hidden menu options #33 "User Port" and #34 "Narrow AM" by pressing and holding four buttons while switching the radio on: 0,3,5 and 9. Menu #33 "User Port" does nothing, but the #34 "Narrow AM" option is very handy and works very well.

In May 2001 we reviewed the SONY ICF-SW7600GR portable. From a performance point of view, it probably is not worth it to the owner of a ICF-SW7600G to upgrade. Significantly, the number of memories in the "GR" increased to 100. Those looking for a new radio or looking to improve upon a low-cost model should be very happy with the "GR" that has sychronous detection and an line output jack (for recording), features missing from Grundig and Sangean at this price point.

Transceivers

• Drake TR4CW
• Kenwood TS-430S, TS-930S, and TS-940S
• Japan Radio Company JST-135 and JST-245
• Yaesu FT-901DM

Reflections. Solid-state made maintenance a lot easier, but the 901DM was a disaster. I think it was built on a Friday afternoon at 4 p.m. prior to a long weekend.

A series of Kenwoods came and went, with the JST-135 in-between. The TS-940S did yeoman service for many years, but the JST-245 was a honey. Absolutely smooth, quiet full break-in CW operation, and we received outstanding audio reports. From late summer 1997 we withdrew -- for reasons of deliberate interference to the SWL Net, we decided it wasn't worth the aggravation -- from HF operation, and sold the JST-245. (I don't anticipate returning to the HF bands anytime soon.)

In September 1999 the North American office of Japan Radio Company told me that they expected to deliver a DSP transceiver to the marketplace in 2001. Undoubtedly it will be based upon the NRD-545 receiver. The new transceiver has yet to surface in the first quarter of 2003. That's no surprise, really, as JRC has a reputation of bringing product to the market long after anticipated deadlines -- witness the NRD-545 timeline -- and the sour economy in Japan and elsewhere.

VHF Transceivers

• ICOM IC-27H
• Vertex VX-150 (HT)
• Yaesu VX-5R (HT)
• Yaesu VX-6R (HT)

Reflections. The ICOM-27H was the first 2-meter mobile unit to have a full PL-encode set within, and it's worked well over the many years.

The VX-5R, new in March 1999, is a marvelous 3-band (50, 144, 440 MHz) HT that covers the MW band, SW through 16 MHz and 48-999 MHz. (See a review in the May 1999 QST.) Not a DXing machine, but nevertheless a very interesting portable receiver for the SWL who is also licensed for the VHF bands. The 7.2V/1100 mAh battery seems to last forever between charges. We sold the HT a few months later, as we just did not use it enough while home recovering from back surgery to warrant tying up money in the unit; we bought a second one in March 2002 when the VX-150 failed.

In June 2000 we purchased a 2m VX-150 HT to take with us on vacations. Vertex is the commercial side of Yaesu; see the August 2000 issue of QST for a review of the VX-150.

In December 2005 I sold both the VX-150 and the VX-5R and bought a VX-6R. The reason was simple. Memories increased five-fold to more than 900, and the unit covered the entire HF spectrum. For traveling, it means I do not alway carry the VR-500 with me. See the December 2005 issue of QST for a review of the VX-6R.

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